With reference to FIG. 7, in an optical card 11, which records and reproduces data by emitting an optical beam spot, a data area 12 for receiving data to be recorded is created on the recording medium surface. In this data area 12, more than two data tracks 13 . . . , extending in a direction A, and arranged in parallel in a direction B. Tracking guides 18 being disposed between individual data tracks 13.
The aforementioned individual data tracks 13 include an acceleration area 14, an address data area 15 (in which track numbers for distinguishing each data tract 13 is to be recorded) a data area 16 (in which recording data is to be recorded) and a deceleration area 17 arranged in the order.
Currently, when recording and/or reproducing data shown in such an optical card 11, for example, an optical card recording and reproducing device 21 has been used, as shown in FIG. 8. This optical card recording and reproducing device 21 comprises a stage 22, on which the optical card 11 is placed with its recording medium surface facing up. This stage 22 is set on a belt 25 which is looped between pulleys 23-24. To the side of the stage 22, a protruding light shield 22a is set, and on a frame 29, a photo-interrupter 30 is set. To an optical card transfer motor 26 is connected to pulley 23 for moving the stage 22 in a direction D by rotating this pulley 23 in a C direction C, and for transferring the optical card 11 and later mentioned optical head 27 in a direction relatively toward the data track 13 of the optical card 11.
Above the stage 22 is set the light head 27 for recording and/or reproducing data by emitting a light beam spot to the optical card 11. In the optical head 27, an auto focus drive is set (not shown), which automatically allows an appropriate light beam spot to be emitted to the recording medium surface of the optical card 11. Also, in the optical head 27, an auto tracking device (not shown) performs auto tracking for accurate light beam spot emissions between the respective tracking guides 18 in the optical card 11. Moreover, the optical head 27 is driven by a head transfer motor 28, and can move in a right angle direction from the direction D.
As shown in FIG. 9 by the optical card recording and reproducing device 21, and its optical head 27 are moved in a predetermined manner when the light beam spot 31 is emitted to a data track 13m is changed to focus on data track 13n. This is to say, when the condition where data recording and/or reproducing can be done to data track 13m is changed to the condition where data recording and/or reproducing can be done to a different data track 13n, the following operation will be done.
First, by driving the head transfer motor 28, the optical head 27 is transferred in a E direction E for a distance corresponding to the distance between the data track 13m and the data track 13n. Then, by driving the optical card transfer motor 26, the optical card 11 moves with the stage 22 to the direction F the acceleration area 14n, the address data area 15n, and the data area 16n, the light beam spot 31 are sequentially scanned and emitted to data track 13n, and the data recorded in the address data area 15n and the data area 16n is reproduced.
If the optical card 11 and stage 22 are moved to a location where the light beam spot 31 can be emitted to the deceleration area 17n of the data track 13n, as shown in FIG. 10, the light shield 22a of the stage 22 crosses a photo-interrupter 30. Because of this, the optical card transfer motor 26 is stopped, and the optical card 11 and stage 22 are stopped at the location where the light beam spot 31 is emitted to the deceleration area 17n.
Then, the track number reproduced from the address data area 15n is collated, and confirmation is made whether the track number is n or not. If it is confirmed that the track number is n, the optical head 27 transfer operation is completed In other words, the light beam spot is emitted to the data track 13n, and the condition is such that data recording and/or writing can be done to, this track 13n.
Additionally, if a transfer error of the optical head 27 by the head transfer motor 28 occurs, causing a distance dispersion between the data track 13m and the data track 13n of the optical card 11, or the like, the data track 13 receiving the light beam spot 31 emissions may become a different track than the requested data track 13n causing the reproduced track number to be different than n. In this case, the optical head 27 is further transferred just a little, and the track number recorded in the adjoining other data track 13 is reproduced. The aforementioned operation will be repeated until the track number recorded in the requested data track 13n is reproduced. When the reproduced track number is confirmed as n, the transfer operation of the optical head 27 is completed.
However, in the aforementioned conventional optical card recording and reproducing device, the optical card 11 is transferred until the location where the light beam spot 31 is emitted reaches the deceleration area 17 from the data area 16, even in the case when the data track 13 in which data is reproduced, and it is not the requested data track 13n. Therefore, it takes a long time to confirm the track number recorded in the address data area 15, concerning one data track 13.
Especially, when the aforementioned track number confirmation operation is done more than twice, because the data track 13 to which the light beam spot is emitted is different from the requested data track 18n, time for the optical card 11 to transfer is accumulated, and access time before the required recording data ca be recorded and/or reproduced becomes drastically long and very inefficient. This has been a problem.